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The Picnic (1)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Would you like to go for a picnic with me this afternoon?” Alex asked.
“A picnic?” Eddie was curled up in a comfy wingback chair in her library cubby. She spent every morning there, curled up with a book, a cup of tea, and shortbread cookies the butler brought her.
“Yes, I thought I could have the chef prepare a basket for us and we could explore the estate? I know a perfect spot and the weather is lovely today,” Alex gestured toward the window, a sheepish look on his face.
Eddie stared out the window. The sun was shining and the sky was pure robin’s egg blue. She squinted. She was an indoor creature by nature and always more of a night owl than an early bird. She wondered if she would shrivel to nothing if she went outside in the midafternoon sun. She glanced at Alex.
He was fidgety and smiling. He seemed excited. His hand in his pockets one moment than running through his hair the next.
Sighing, she nodd
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Alex had laid a thick picnic blanket on the ground and spread out different snacks and bite-sized hordoeurves. He was pouring some sort of champagne when she wandered up. He was smiling but as soon as he looked up at her, his expression dropped. “Stop!” Eddie stopped in her tracks, “What? Was it?” “I took my eyes off of you for one second and you’re covered in dirt!” “Dirt?” Eddied looked herself over and blushed. Crouching near the creek had gotten mud all over her shoes and a little on the bottom of the skirts. Alex put down the champagne glass and shuffled over to her, “Don’t step on the blanket. Here put your hand on my shoulder and take off your shoes.” She leaned against and slipped out of her shoes. Putting one stocking on the blanket and following with the other. “Much better, here you can sit here.” Alex handed her a champagne glass and sat down unnecessarily close to her. She attempted to lean away, a little o
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Alex leaned forward and kissed her softly, pulling back for a moment to gauge her reaction. Whatever he saw in her eyes satisfied him and he leaned in again and kissed her more passionately. Her pulse quickened and their breathing became ragged. The book slipped from her hands and she laced her fingers behind his neck.He wrapped his arms around her waist and together they fell onto the picnic blanket. Eddie’s brown curly hair was spread out on the ground, striking against the soft yellow blanket. They separated.“Beautiful,” he whispered. Eddie blushed and looked out at the woods.“We shouldn’t do this here,” she whispered.“No one’s here and no one’s going to head this way. I told all the servants we wanted privacy,”“Alex! They’ll think we’re doing inappropriate things!” She pounded on his chest.“Well, they’re not wrong,” He laughed. Edd
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Lily’s surprise visit surprised everyone except Eddie. The two had never been apart for more than a week since their academy days. The fact that she resisted storming over to the Claiborne estate for more than two weeks was a praiseworthy accomplishment.The servants scrambled to prepare the tea room, and the poor cooks rushed to prepare tea and snacks. Luckily, Eddie was easy to find. A maid informed her of the visit and Eddie dragged herself out of her secret study, as she was now fondly calling her reading nook.Eddie was delighted to see her friend. She needed advice. Ever since their picnic, Alex had become insatiable. He would find her multiple times throughout the day and kiss her senseless. More often than not, they didn’t stop at kissing. There wasn’t a single space in her secret study that escaped their charades. In the wingback chair, in front of the fireplace, right in front of the window, Alex took her wherever he pleased. Not that Eddie
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Edwina placed her teacup down with a clink. Her mood soured. She had been happy, anxious, and embarrassed discussing Alex, but the topic of Johannes filled her with disgust and shame.“What about him?” She asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.“The king of Arendal disowned him,” Lily couldn’t hide her excitement, “He’s no longer a prince. He’s been cast out of the royal family!”Lily laughed giddily. Lily hated Antonie. She knew all about Eddie’s affair. She wanted to enlist Thackery to beat Johannes back at the academy. Eddie stopped her. She didn’t want to cause an international incident over her love affair.“What?” Eddie exclaimed, “For what reason?” Johannes hadn’t been the brightest prince, but he never got into trouble at the academy.“No one knows,” Lily leaned in and whispered, “It’s all very hush-hush. I heard rumors
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She had never experienced this kind of affection with Johannes. He avoided her in public and any time they met in secret, he went straight to kissing or sex, typical of a teenage boy.When she thought about Alex treating his past lovers the same way he treated her, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. Jealousy was a new emotion for her. She had never been jealous of anybody, nobles, schoolmates, friends. She had never felt jealousy towards Johannes’s behavior when they were together.When she imagined Alex with someone else though, she felt extremely jealous and possessive. She didn’t know why, but she did not want to be treated the same way as his past lovers. She wanted to be special. Maybe they had gotten married like most everyone else, for political reasons, but she was growing extremely fond of him. She didn’t want him to take other lovers as other aristocratic men did, she wanted him to be faithful.If you want to have a happy marriage co
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Alex pulled away and started placing delicate kisses up her neck towards her ear. Eddie unconsciously tilted her head to allow him more access. His right hand lightly grasped her neck, his thumb rubbing small circles at the base of her throat.“I can be very convincing,” he breathed into her ear, ending the sentence with a sensual lick. She shivered.His hand moved from her throat, down towards her breasts. His thumb circled her nipple over the fabric of her dress.“Alex,” she tensed, “What if someone walks in.”“I only hire the best of the best,” he places kisses on her collarbone, his traced a path from her breast to her stomach, “They won’t bother newlyweds behind closed doors.”“But-”He silenced her with a kiss, his tongue slipping inside her mouth. He swallowed her moan, his talented tongue wearing down her defenses. His free hand continued its descent, now g
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She hurried to her carriage, ignoring waves from other advisors and nods from the usual guards. She climbed into her carriage and slammed the door behind her. The driver didn’t hesitate and started off.Eddie continued to chew on her nails.Alex had opened up to her these past few weeks. He told her stories about his childhood and his hatred for his father. He told her about starting his businesses, about his disdain for the Grand Peerage.He told her about their academy days and his infatuation with her. He told her about how he loved her hair, her eyes, and her nose. How he loved how she couldn’t seem to keep her clothes from getting wrinkled. How he loved her work ethic and her intelligence. He told her about dreams for their future. They’d even discussed children!He couldn’t be planning a coup.But maybe he was fooling her. She’d been fooled before.She believed that Johannes loved her and now she believed
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Eddie readied for bed, but remained awake. She left a lamp on and pulled out a book, snuggled under the blankets she waited until Alex returned. The door opened just after midnight, and her husband snuck into the room. “You’re still awake? You should be asleep by now,” “I wanted to wait for you,” “Is something wrong?” “No, you look tired. What kept you?” “A client at the casino wanted to meet with me, and I couldn’t refuse. I made sure he wouldn’t hold me up again.” Alex’s eyes darkened. Eddie shuddered, her mind pondering all the ways the Duke of Ice could prove a point. Alex sauntered to the bathroom, and in less than fifteen minutes he returned. His hair was still wet, a towel wrapped around his hips. Water sluiced down his muscles and Eddie watched him, her gaze turning heated. Alex grinned mischievously and crossed the bedroom quickly. He drew her lips in for a kiss. Eddie closed her eyes, savoring the tast
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(1 month later)"Well that was certainly exciting,” Lily took a sip of her tea. She looked stunning today, wearing her signature purple. Her dark hair was braided to the side of her head, with small flowers and crystals decorating the braid. Her makeup was perfect, her long lashes enhanced with mascara, and her complexion warm with a hint of blush.“I can’t thank you enough Lily. If it weren’t for you I don’t know what would have happened,” Eddie grabbed her friend’s hand. This was their first visit since Eddie’s kidnapping, and she was overjoyed to see her friend.The past month with Alex had been equal parts happy and frustrating. She loved Alex’s endless attention, but his overprotectiveness had reached new levels. Even though she was able to get out of bed a week after her attack, he refused to allow her to leave the bedroom for an extra week. He wanted to forbid visitors for two months, but Eddi
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After a moment's pause, she asked “What happened to him?”She needed to know. Eddie didn’t want to think of Johannes after this and if she didn’t know what happened to him, she might spend her entire life glancing over her shoulder. Worried that he could be there, waiting to pounce and kidnap her again.Eddie didn’t want this incident to stay with her. She already knew she would flinch at men now, afraid that they might hit or harm her. She’d never had that fear before, but she would conquer it.Alex placed her hand back down on the comfort and retrieved another glass of water for her, “Alistair took him back to Arendel with him. It’s up to their King and Alistair to deal with him now.”“Alistair is their Crown Prince right? How do you know him?” She asked. Alex handed her the glass of water and waited for her to take a sip. Once she’d taken a few gulps he answered her question.
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She blinked at him in surprise. Eddie had no idea that Alex had any ties to the royal family of Arendel.She glanced up at Alex, his face serious, “Where was she, Alistair?”“A room in the basement, from the looks of it she’d been tied up there.”Alex’s grip on her arm tightened. She refused to look at him, her mind still reeling. She faintly heard Alex and Alistair discussing her, but her mind tuned them out as she took a look at her surroundings.She was in a seedy bar. The bar had been completely turned over. Broken plates, chairs, and tables littered the floor. In the center of the bar, several men were tied up, including Johannes.Eddie flinched when her eyes landed on him. She didn’t want him to have any more power over her, but the bruises and pain she felt were too fresh. Alex felt her flinch and he squeezed her gently, his arms still wrapped around her.“What happened?” she asked
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He kept her there for days. She had no true idea how long she was there, no indicator of time other than his visits, each one more cruel and violent than the last. Johannes had gotten a taste of brutality and he reveled in it, finding new ways to taunt her and punish her.She never saw him leave, always fainted before he made his way out the door. Her legs and arms were bruised and battered, she was sure her face was a rainbow of color.She was grateful his hands never turned sexual. The thought of that brute’s hands made her want to retch.He left her on her side on the floor, during this time, but the last beating she received he’d propped her up, her chair finally back in an upright position. She smiled before her consciousness faded.The room was dark and she was alone when she woke up again. When she struggled the chair jostled a little. It was less stable than before. The left chair’s leg felt loose. She pulled against the chair le
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Eddie’s consciousness returned suddenly. She gasped and her eyes popped open. Without thinking she began to struggle until she fell on the ground, knocking her head and disorienting her once again.She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She looked around but saw nothing. She was in a dark room, with no light.She was seated in a chair, her legs tied to the chair legs, her hands tied behind the back. Splinters rubbed into her arms.She tried to let her eyes adjust, keeping them open even in the pitch darkness. Eventually, thanks to the light peeking around the door she was able to make out her surroundings.She was locked in a storeroom of some sort. Barrels of what she assumed were alcohol were stacked high up around her. A leaking drip-drip sounded in the corner of the room.She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. It could have been hours or even days. The light from the door gave her no indication of time. It c
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“Tell me about it,” Claiborne took another swig of his drink, “I mean how could I lose to that piece of garbage. I gave her everything she could ever want.” Lily felt no sympathy for Claiborne’s pity party. The sight was absolutely revolting. It did confirm Claiborne’s feelings, however. He must really love Eddie. If Claiborne found this letter, it could only mean one thing. Eddie did meet with Johannes and that bastard must have done something to her. Why would Eddie meet with him? The why wasn't it important right now. Lily knew in her gut that Johannes had done something to her friend. They needed to find out what happened to her. Maybe she needed to go to Thackery for help? Thackeray wasn’t the most subtle person. He never even knew about Eddie’s relationship with Johannes. Eddie was always afraid he would blab. This incident couldn’t reach society’s ears. A married woman disappearing from her husband’s estate and a suspicious letter. Even
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Lily was welcomed into the manor by a sober-looking butler. He opened the door but did not gesture for her to come inside.“Welcome, Duchess,” the butler bowed, “How can I help you today?”“Where is he?” she asked, pushing past him to enter the manor. She handed her hat and gloves to a maid who appeared at her side. The butler cast a searing look at the maid. He clearly didn’t expect Lily to stay.“He’s not taking any visitors currently, my lady,” the butler scrambled to intercept her as she made her way deeper into the manor.“I don’t care,” Lily shoved past him, and further into the estate, “He will see me.”The butler and maid hesitated, worried about getting scolded, fired, or in some sort of trouble with their master. Lily sniffed. If they were fired she’d compensate them accordingly. There were bigger things at stake than their jobs right now.
